Morelli managed to get a copy of the police report from the Blackmore takedown in January sent to his laptop. He pulled up the pictures taken of Isabella and used them for a comparison against the body.

Preliminary identification seemed to confirm that the woman was indeed Isabella Sanchez. The dragonfly tattoo on her shoulder and the climbing vine tattoo on her right calf matched the ones in her pictures. The gaping wound at her throat also confirmed she'd been murdered. Now I was going to have to break the news to Casey.

It was well past nine when I finally walked back into the apartment. Not only was I dreading the conversation with Casey, but my ribs were also hurting like a bitch. Bobby insisted on x-rays, which revealed nothing broken or cracked. While that was good, it only ensured that I didn't puncture a lung or anything. The healing time for bruised ribs was still about the same.

Casey was sitting on the couch watching television. Her attention shifted to me, and she narrowed her gaze. "You're hurt," she said not asked.

Damn. I didn't expect her to be quite so perceptive. "It's nothing," I replied.

She pushed up from where she'd been sitting and crossed to me. "It's not nothing or you wouldn't be wincing and holding your side. Please tell me you didn't get stabbed or shot."

"If I'd been stabbed or shot in the chest, I'd be in the hospital right now." I shook my head. "Been there, done that, and don't care to do it again."

"Okay," she replied. "So, what did happen?"

"I dropped down on our target from atop a six-foot-tall chain link fence. His shoulder caught me in the ribs."

Her face filled with shock as she bridged the distance between us. "My God, Lester. You could be walking around with broken ribs." She reached for my shirt. "Lift your shirt and let me see."

"They're not broken," I said as I grabbed her hands.

"How do you know that for sure?" She shook her head. "Stubborn man. I swear. What is it with men not wanting to admit when they're hurt?"

While I was more than a little touched that she was so concerned about me, I couldn't allow her to continue to worry. "Precious, relax. I promise they're not broken."

She lifted her gaze to meet mine and the glassiness in her eyes led me to believe she was about to cry. That wouldn't do at all. "Bobby insisted on x-raying them when we got back. I promise that they're really not broken."

"Well-" She cut a glance to my ribs. "Okay, but at least let me get you an ice pack."

"Actually…" God, I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to have to be the one to tell her about her friend. "We need to talk."

Her expression slid into one of cautious reserve as we made our way back over to the sofa. I made sure to sit so my sore ribs were away from her. Not knowing how she might react; I didn't want her to hurt me accidentally. That would only make her feel worse.

"After we caught our target, Ram discovered a body floating in the water nearby."

She gasped and her hand went to her mouth. "Oh, how horrible."

"Yeah, it was horrible," I agreed. "Um…I don't quite know how to say this to make it any easier for you to hear, but preliminary identification of the body points to it being your friend Izzy."

Several silent seconds passed as she stared blankly at me before she began to shake her head. "No. Not Izzy. You guys are wrong. It can't be Izzy."

"The coroner will perform an autopsy and work to confirm the identity, but, Precious, I don't think they're wrong. I'm so sorry."

Just as I anticipated, her tears came now, fast, and strong. I pulled her against me as she grieved the loss of her friend. "We're still looking for Maddie," I said, hoping to give her some measure of relief. "Once we find her, we'll bring her back here and put her under our protection."

"Protection? Wait," she said as she pulled back to look me in the face. "Was Izzy murdered?"

I nodded.

Her brow was knit even as her tears continued to fall. "That means I really am in danger, doesn't it?" She'd no sooner asked the question when fear streaked across her face. Damn it. We'd spent weeks helping her to slowly overcome her fears and all that work had been erased in the span of two nights.

Forgetting my ribs, I twisted so I could reach out with both hands and cup her face. "Now you listen to me. I promised that I would always protect you and I will. Every man in this building will do whatever is necessary to protect you. Nobody is going to hurt you."

"But someone killed Izzy, and someone is trying to get to me and Maddie, right?" Her hands came up to grasp my wrists. "When we went skating," she said, and her voice hitched with panic. "You said someone was watching us." She started to shake under my touch as her fear began to take hold. "Oh God, what if it's Clayton? What if he's coming back for us?"

"Clayton Blackmore and his men are all sitting in jail awaiting trial. Every one of them was denied bail."

"But if it's not Clayton, then who?" She gasped again and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. "Is it those people from the rehab the police told me about weeks ago?"

Damn, I hated having to admit this too. "We don't know for sure." Sitting in this position was killing my ribs. So, I shifted to lean back against the couch and then pulled her to me. "We're trying to firm up the information we've been able to obtain, but right now we believe there's a good chance it's either Pfeiffer or Kowalski."

She turned her head, so she was looking up from where she leaned against me. "Wow…so I go from one nightmare right into another."

"Like I said, we're going to protect you and we're still working to try and locate Maddie."

For several minutes we sat in silence while I let her absorb and process all the information I'd just dumped on her. After about five minutes she shifted and then pushed up. "I'm going to get you some ice for your ribs."

"Okay. Are you alright?"

"I will be," she said then disappeared into the kitchen. A few seconds later she returned with a cold pack wrapped in a towel. Then she eased down next to me and gently pressed it to my ribs. I couldn't stop the wince that followed, but I managed to bite back the hiss. "I'm guessing by your reaction I'm in the right spot."

"Yeah. Good instincts, Precious." It was at that moment that I remembered the other subject I wanted to talk to her about. "I have another question for you, and it has nothing to do with what we were just talking about."

"What would that be?"

"Why did you go see Bobby this morning?"

She stiffened at my question, and I knew I was onto something. "How did you find out I went to see Robert?" she asked.

"I happened to be walking by the monitors on my way to the breakroom and saw you," I replied.

She cut her gaze to where she was holding the ice pack against my ribs. "Did you talk to him?"

"Yes, but he said if I wanted to know what was going on, I needed to speak to you."

Her focus then traveled to the small space on the couch between us, but she didn't answer me.

Worried that something was wrong, I shifted so I could face her, then curled a knuckle under her chin, and gently tilted her head until she was forced to look at me again. "I'm worried, Precious. Please tell me what's going on."

"I went to Robert to talk about what happened last night and what other options there might be for birth control. I also wanted to talk to him about the possibility of me being sterile and how I could go about finding out for sure if I am," she admitted.

I did my best to hide the shock that was coursing through my body. Well, that certainly wasn't what I was expecting her to say. "Why?"

"Well, I liked where things were going last night before I ruined it with my freak-out."

"Your freak out was completely understandable considering the situation," I replied. "And honestly, we probably shouldn't have been going there yet anyway." While it's true with any other woman I would have had her in bed weeks ago, it had been not quite six full weeks since Casey came into my life. After everything she'd been through, I didn't want to push her into something she wasn't ready for yet.

Her brow knit as she stared at me. "Why not? I mean religiously I know why not, but you've already admitted that's never stopped you from taking a woman to bed. So, what's wrong with me that you don't want to take me to bed?"

How in the hell do I always manage to get myself into these situations and why is it she's constantly surprising me with her questions or actions? "Absolutely nothing is wrong with you. It's just, I know you grew up with certain values, and well, after everything you've been through, I didn't want to push you into something you weren't ready for."

"So, are you saying if I hadn't freaked out last night, you would have put the brakes on things before we went all the way?"

Well, shit. Way to call me on my bullshit, Precious. I sighed. "I don't know. I'd like to think I would have, but I was just as caught up in the moment as you were. So, there's a possibility I might not have."

"So, why are you backpedaling now then?"

"Because I was trying to do what I thought was right for you."

She gave me a small smile. "I'm touched that you are trying so hard to protect me, but believe it or not, I do have needs just like any other woman. Since we now know condoms will trigger a meltdown for me, the logical solution was for me to find another form of birth control. At least until we can confirm that I am infertile like my family believed."

Wow. Once again, she surprised me. Between her upbringing and her trauma, I expected the whole topic of sex and intimacy to be an issue for her. Especially after what happened last night. What I'm coming to realize is that she's a lot stronger than she appears. Which spoke volumes as to how low she had to get to land on that bridge six weeks ago. "So, what did Bobby say?"

Her attention drifted to the carpet and a hint of red tinged her cheeks. While she might be stronger than I gave her credit for being, it was clear by her body language that she still struggled to talk about certain topics. "He gave me a couple of choices for temporary contraceptives to use. Then we discussed the pros and cons of each. To get something more permanent will require a visit to a gynecologist."

I was shocked that she'd found the courage to have such a delicate conversation with Bobby. Though, with his medical background, he was probably the best choice. "Did he help you arrange an appointment?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly."

Her reply pulled a frown from me. It wasn't like Bobby to not help someone when asked. "What does that mean?"

"Well, he did help me obtain what I needed for now, but he said that recommending a gynecologist was outside of his expertise. He told me to check with Stephanie or Kristina. So, I went to see Stephanie and she put me in touch with her doctor. I have an appointment in a month, but I'm on a waitlist for any cancellations that might pop up. In the meantime, if we find ourselves in another situation like last night, we're at least somewhat protected.

She shrugged. "I don't think it's quite as effective as condoms and definitely not as effective as prescription birth control options, but it's better than nothing."

I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Do you know how proud I am of you right now?"

Surprise lit in her eyes as she lifted her head to meet my gaze. "Why?"

"Because after what happened last night, you had every right to not want me to touch you again. Instead, you pushed past your insecurities and the uncomfortable nature of the subject matter and sought out help. Going to Bobby took courage, Precious and that's why I'm proud of you."

"Like I've said before," she began. "Intimacy was the one area of my life where I wasn't making any progress in my recovery." She laid her hands over mine. "I want to get better, Lester. I want to get better, so I can be with you."

I took her hands in mine and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I know it might not feel like it, but you are making progress. Let me know when you think you're ready to try again."

A small smile tipped her lips. "I will, Lester. Thank you for being so patient with me."